Hampshire returns to the Tigers

Castleford Tigers are delighted to announce the signing of utility back Ryan Hampshire on a one-year contract.

The 27-year-old returns to The Mend-A-Hose Jungle after first representing the Tigers during a year loan spell during the 2016 season.

After going on to represent Leigh Centurions and local neighbours Wakefield Trinity after his first Cas stint, the pacey full-back/halfback claimed that he is thankful for the opportunity to return to Wheldon Road for 2022.

“The Club has changed a lot since I was first here back in 2016. It is all different around the place and I am looking forward to seeing how it goes.

“The people at the Club are all good people. I struggled to get in the side at the start in my first spell but managed to get a good number of games near the end and had a really enjoyable year.”

Head Coach Lee Radford is now five matches into his Tigers tenure and when asked about what messages his new boss has been giving him so far, Hampshire explained that Radford is looking for him to get a solid number of training sessions under his belt before trying to cement a place in the team.

“Me and Lee have had a chat and he’s said he is going to build me up by getting involved in training over the next few weeks. There is a lot of competition for places but I can play full-back or in the halves so I will be able to provide quite a few options.

“I just want to be competitive and ready to go. The lads have been really welcoming and it is good to see some faces that I haven’t seen for a while. I’ve only had a couple of sessions with them, and it has been good to get back into it.”

Ryan is well known for his versatility in being able to play in a number of positions, including in the backs or halves, and the Tigers’ new acquisition put forward that he is ready to help the squad whichever position he takes to the field.

“I’m hoping to give Radders a lot of options whether that be at full-back or in the halves. I’m going to work hard to cement a spot in one of those places.

“I can help the team across plenty of positions but hopefully I will be able to get a run at a certain position so I can develop some more momentum and form.”

In closing, Hampshire set out what his goals are for 2022 and proclaimed that he is relishing the thought of running out at The Jungle as a home player once again.

“My goal for the year will be to help the team as much as I can. Firstly, I will be focussing on getting as fit as I can because even though I have been training I’ll need to get into some contact sessions.

“After that, I am really looking forward to getting stuck in, but I am just taking it a week at a time. It is incredible to see them getting over 10,000 down here and it is a really hard place to come when you are an away player.

“To have them behind me again should be fun!”

Touching on his latest new addition, Radford spoke of his delight of securing Hampshire’s signature, by saying: “I’m really pleased to be bringing Rocky in. At the moment we’re obviously a bit light in a couple of positions and he can play and deliver good performances for us.

“He’s kept himself in great shape, but we probably just need to put him through some sessions and get him hardened over the next few weeks.”